Cougars head to historic Penn Relays

From our community

Published 4:00 pm, Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Less than a week removed from hosting their first outdoor meet in eight seasons, the Houston Cougar men’s and women’s track and field teams will head to Franklin Field, April 28-30 for the 122nd running of the Penn Relays, in Philadelphia, Pa.

The historic event begins Tuesday with the men’s decathlon and women’s heptathlon, but the Cougars will not be in action until the women’s long jump at 9 a.m., Thursday, April 28. Running events begin with the preliminary round of the women’s 4x100-meter relay at 1:15 p.m., and will run through the women’s and men’s Championship 5,000-meters beginning at 8:50 p.m.

Houston returns to action on Friday at 8 a.m., with the Championship 400-meter Hurdles. The women’s triple jump begins field event action at 10 a.m., with the resumption of running starting at 11:35 a.m., for the men’s version of the 4x100.

The final day of the meet is scheduled to feature the Championship 4x800-meter relay and any finals of events that the Cougars qualify for on Friday.

WHO TO WATCH

The top athletes in the world will be competing in Philadelphia this weekend, and the Cougars will fit right in with them. Houston’s talented hurdle trio of senior Issac Williams and freshmen Marcus McWilliams and Amere Lattin will all be in action. Williams enters as the No. 2 straight-track hurdler in the nation, while McWilliams ranks No. 19 and Lattin sits at No. 29.

Houston also has three of the nation’s top men’s 100-meter dashers in the country, led by senior LeShon Collins who enters competition ranked No. 10 in the NCAA. Sophomore Cameron Burrell and freshman Mario Burke are tied at No. 27 in the nation in the event. Burrell was named American Athletic Conference Track Athlete of the Week for the second time this season, on Tuesday. Junior Bria Carter will run the 100m for the women, and she holds the No. 88 time in the nation this season.

Burrell will also be in action in the field events as he brings his No. 41 mark in the NCAA this season into the long jump. In the women’s jumps, sophomore Tonyecia Burks and freshman Felicienne Axel are each ranked among the nation’s best with Burks at No. 81 and Axel at No. 94 in the triple jump.

Each of the men’s and women’s nationally ranked 4x100 and 4x400-meter relay squads will be in action at the Penn Relays this weekend. The men’s 4x1 team enters with the No. 5 mark in the NCAA, while the women will compete with the No. 56 mark. In the 4x4, the men enter ranked No. 83 and the women sit at No. 84.